Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of investing in alternative and supplementary diagnostic methods for bovine TB, as a means of reducing reliance on the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) skin test; and what steps she is taking to standardise the administration and interpretation of the SICCT test, including the calibration and pressure applied by callipers used to measure skin reactions, across veterinary practitioners.

The SICCT test is the internationally accepted standard for detecting TB infected cattle and is the cornerstone of bovine TB control in Great Britain. This is often supplemented in TB breakdown herds by the interferon-gamma and TB antibody blood tests.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency supports consistency in the administration and interpretation of the SICCT test through standardised instructions, training and competency requirements, regular revalidation, and quality assurance.

The Government funds research into improved TB diagnostics, including jointly funded research with the Welsh and Scottish Governments exploring use of constant-pressure callipers to improve measurement consistency.

The recommended bovine TB control strategy for England proposes greater flexibility for privately funded supplementary testing. The Government will respond in due course.